Qatar anticipating US request to expel Hamas leaders, open to doing so — source

Qatar is prepared to accept a request from the US for it to expel Hamas’s leaders from Doha and is anticipating one could be made soon, a source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani last month that Doha should expel Hamas’s leaders if the terror group continues to reject hostage deal proposals, a US official says, confirming reporting in the Washington Post.

Negotiations appear poised to reach an inflection point over the weekend, with CIA chief Bill Burns arriving in Cairo yesterday and a Hamas delegation landing later today, as the sides await the terror group’s response to the latest hostage deal proposal crafted by Egyptian, Qatari and American mediators and green-lit by Israel.

The US has blamed Hamas for refusing to accept previous offers and says Hamas is the only obstacle to a deal that would see dozens of the most vulnerable Israel hostages released in exchange for an immediate ceasefire of at least six weeks.

The source familiar with the matter indicates that a US request for Doha to expel Hamas’s leadership could come if the terror group rejects the latest offer on the table.

An Israeli official says Hamas is not expected to reject the offer outright, rather return with an amended offer of its own.

But given that patience with Hamas is running out in Washington, anything other than an affirmative response to the deal on the table might be enough to lead the US to formally ask Qatar to expel the terror group, the source says.